DALTON, GA. — Members of the Carpet America Recovery Effort kept more than 351 million pounds of carpet out of U.S. landfills in 2012, the organization's annual report indicates. That's roughly 10 percent of the 3.54 billion pounds of carpet CARE estimates was discarded in 2012.
Of the diverted carpet, 294 pounds was recycled into new carpet and other products, a 17 percent increase over 2011. The remainder was burned for energy. CARE also increased its membership 13 percent during the period, which likely contributed to the increase in reported diversion.
Approximately 87.6 percent of the recycled carpet was used within the U.S.; the next-most-popular destination was Asia, which used 8.9 percent of the material.
Dalton-based CARE has indicated a goal of 20 percent diversion with 12 percent recycling by 2016.